


The Desert Wind

by ChibiZel



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
Genre: Arbiter's Grounds, Ganondorf's Trial, Gen, gerudo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-24
Updated: 2015-03-24
Packaged: 2018-03-19 11:46:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 985
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3608952
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChibiZel/pseuds/ChibiZel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nabooru lets her mind wander during Ganondorf's trial and (attempted) execution.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Desert Wind

**Author's Note:**

> So, first submission. Woo. Have several others in the works, but actually managed to finish this one yay. I hope I did the tags right. There's no sexual or romantic content, but there is language and a short burst of violence. If I tagged it wrong just let me know. Now I'm just rambling.  
> Here, have a fic! Read! Enjoy!

The soft wind blew through the ancient amphitheater, the Desert Goddess sighing her breath over the judgement of her lost son.  It tugged playfully at the robes and cowls of the Sages.  She felt it slide beneath her mask to caress her face, the Goddess reassuring her daughter.  It smelled rich, the desert flowers, the sharp sand, the smell of the fading heat at the end of the day.  The breath of the Goddess was so filled with life, vibrant and bursting.

_Not that he ever noticed_ , Nabooru thought bitterly.  He could never see the wealth they lived in, the beauty and life of the great sand sea.  He was obsessed with the fertile lands beyond the canyon, the soft Hylians in their soft fields.  He coveted those lands, coveted that soft Goddess with her wet, cloying breath.  He turned his back on the Desert, and now She takes a small moment to say goodbye to him.  Abruptly, all went still, and in the silence Nabooru knew their Goddess had said Her mind and left them to their work.

Nabooru tried to peer around the edge of her mask without visibly moving.  She had to admit, they did look impressive arrayed before the condemned, hidden beneath their cloaks, faces obscured by their stern masks of Judgement.  Normally, the robes bore each sage's colors and sigil, but today the identifiers had been removed.  Even chained, the accused was just too dangerous, the grudges he bore too deep.  

The center sage stepped forward to announce the sentence.  Nabooru knew it would be Rauru who spoke for them, but with the spells in the masks his voice was unrecognizable.  By rights, it should have been her leading the trial.  By right of host, she had the right to preside over the execution, but they decided it would be safer to hide her amongst the other sages rather than stand her out as a target.  The grudges he bore ran too deep.

Nabooru was glad that they had granted her the placement of the trial.  Normally, trials for treason and heresy took place in the capitol, but Zelda graciously yielded her the right.  Whatever else he was, Ganondorf was of the desert, and he had betrayed Her long before he betrayed the Hylians.

“Does the accused have anything to say in his defense?” Maybe Rauru wasn’t the best choice.  Even with his voice disguised, he still had very … distinct speaking patterns.  

“You…  are unworthy…” the man snarled back, straining against the chains.  Rauru didn’t so much as flinch.

“The accused has nothing to say?” he asked again.

“You are.. not worthy!” he ground out, chains groaning under the strain. Rauru continued as though the man hadn’t spoken.

“We, arbiters of Nayru’s Law, in the name of Farore’s Mercy, under Din’s Judgement, present our verdict before the eyes of Gods and Men.”  As he spoke, a point of light formed between his hands, stretching out to a line, then blooming into a sword.  “Ganondorf Dragmire, we find you guilty of high treason, heresy, the violation of the Sacred Realm of the Goddesses, the desecration of sacred temples, theft of the holy Triforce, blasphemy, and murder.” With another gesture, he sent the glowing sword shooting through the air.  It impaled Ganondorf, pinning him to the rock he was chained against.  “We hereby-”

The sharp ping of a rivet flying off the manacle and zinging off the walls brought Rauru up short.  Even the Desert held her breath, waiting for her son’s latest betrayal.  He drooped against the chains, panting hard from the effort.  By the Goddess, how was he even still alive?

“Na..  boo..  ru..!” he rumbled, glaring from mask to mask. The Triforce mark on the back of his hand glowed bright gold.  Power.  Din wasn’t content to let her champion die, even corrupted as he was.  A couple of the sages backed away a few steps.  She held her ground, refused to move, refused to make a sound.

“Na.. booru..  bitch!  Which.. one!” he gnashed his teeth at them, brandishing the triforce mark and seeming to entirely ignore the sword through his gut.  “Whore to the Hylians!  Whore-bitch!  Your..  king calls to.. you!”  Nabooru stood impassive, one Sage among the Six.  They could have been a ring of statues for all the reaction they gave.

“Nabooru.. traitor bitch! You, whore who raised arms against your King!  Here, before the eyes of Gods and Men, I name you Oathbreaker.”

A sharp gasp from down the line and Ganondorf’s head snapped to one of the sages.  Nabooru was shocked to silence, couldn’t have moved even if she’d wanted to. A horrible grin spread across his lips, fangs jutting from his lower jaw.  

“Little Spirit Sage.”

_Oh. No!_

Before Nabooru could shout a warning, Ganondorf wrenched the remaining shackle free.  With a tremendous roar, he tore free of the bindings and charged at the now cowering sage.  Dark energy glowed around his raised fist.

She screamed and tried to lunge at him when a wall slammed into her side and the world went spinning.  Her mask was knocked askew, and while she struggled to right it she could only hear the wild chaos descending around her.  When she finally got it turned right way round the first thing she saw was Darunia above her, pinning her down.  

_Wait.  No mask?_  She sat up and pulled her mask off, looking around.  Ganondorf was gone.  Saria was cowering timidly behind Darunia.  Impa and Rauru flanked the Twilight Mirror.  And Ruto..  

Ruto lay torn open in a pool of blood and viscera.

_Oh Goddess._

She scrambled from under Darunia and half stumbled over to the Sage of Water’s lifeless body.  She stared blankly up at the sky, her face oddly unmarred save a few splashes of blood. She looked faintly surprised.  

The mask fell from Nabooru’s limp fingers as she bowed her head and mourned.


End file.
